


On The Road Again

by MalevolentSpirit



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Best Friends, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-10
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-03-29 15:54:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13930356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MalevolentSpirit/pseuds/MalevolentSpirit
Summary: What would happen if Sarah didn't die, and the outbreak happened three years later? In which Sarah and Ellie are the same age, Joel isn't nearly as grumpy; and best friends, quite literally, watch each others' backs.





	1. Chapter One

    The buzzing of the bedside alarm rang in Sarah’s ears. The seconds seemed to be hours before the young teen managed to gather enough energy to turn it off. Her hand lay motionless for a moment on top of the silenced clock, then pulled back into the warm cocoon of blankets. She rolled herself over onto her back, her crystal-blue eyes staring the ceiling. The ceiling had tiny, stick-on stars scattered all around, giving the room a childlike but peaceful aura.  
    Dragging herself out from the blankets, Sarah stood up and stretched out her tiny arms above her head. She rolled her shoulders back to relieve the slight crick in her neck from sleeping in one position for too long. Then, she made her way down the hall into the small bathroom her and her father shared; it had pale blue walls and was decorated with beautiful pictures. It was also the quietest place in the entire house, being far enough away from any rooms or loud televisions.   
    Sarah looked at herself in the mirror, a small laugh passing her lips at the state her hair was in. It sticked up in all kinds of directions, mostly up like punk spikes. The teen picked up her hairbrush and fixed the mess, making it lay flat again. She then brushed her teeth and washed her face with cold water to wake her up for the day.   
    “Sarah! You almost ready, babygirl?” her father, Joel, called from outside the bathroom door. Since they shared, neither of them could be in there for too long.  
    “Yeah! Just give me ten minutes to shower,” Sarah replied.  
    “Alright. Meet me downstairs once you’re ready.”

    After her shower, Sarah quickly got dressed. She put on a black Bon Jovi tank top and some blue jean shorts; it was too hot to wear anything else. The teen towel-dried her hair and brushed it again before heading downstairs to meet Joel.  
    “Hey,” she said.  
    “Hey, kiddo. You wanna go invite Jimmy and his family over for dinner?” Joel asked. They always tried to have some kind of cook out each Sunday, even if it was just a few people.  
    “Can we invite Ellie, too? Her parents are out of town, and I bet she’s bored,” Sarah said. Her best friend, Ellie, was the same age as her; fourteen. They’d been friends since elementary school when Ellie helped her color in a dinosaur.  
    “Of course. I’ll call her; you go talk to Jimmy,” Joel said as he walked over and grabbed the phone. Meanwhile, Sarah was already getting her black converse on and heading next door. She knocked on the front door, hoping Jimmy and his family were already awake.  
    “Jimmy? It’s Sarah. Dad wants to know if y’all wanna come over today,” she said.  
    The door opened and Jimmy stepped out. He gave Sarah a friendly smile and nodded his head. “Of course! We’d love to. Any specific time?” He asked.  
    “Dad didn’t say. I guess y’all can come anytime you want to. Are you gonna bring Heather?” Sarah asked. Heather was another one of Sarah’s friends, and Jimmy’s niece that lived with him.  
    “Of course! She loves you guys. We’ll be over around noon, how’s that sound?” Jimmy asked.  
    “Sounds good! See y’all later!” Sarah said, a smile on her face. She waved goodbye and went back to her house. Stepping inside, she slid the screen door shut and left the glass one open. This gave the house some air and light without letting in the mosquitos or other bugs.  
    “Dad, Jimmy said he and Heather will be over around noon,” Sarah said. She looked around the kitchen and saw where Joel had already began getting the food out. He always seemed to prepare early.  
“Alrighty. You wanna help me make macaroni salad until Ellie gets here? She said she’d be at least twenty minutes,” Joel replied.   
“Heck yeah,” the teen said, a smile on her lips. Helping Joel make food has always been one of her favorite things to do besides guitar and soccer. It brought them closer together and gave them a chance to talk. It just seemed to be their thing. One time, a pizza exploded in the oven, covering it in tomato sauce and cheese; there are still some stains.  
Getting the macaroni out, Joel poured it into the pot of boiling water and handed Sarah the spoon. “Stir it up and make sure it cooks all the way,” he said. He then walked over and began cutting the vegetables that would mix in with the salad. He always added cucumbers, tomatoes, and occasionally onions. Sarah didn’t like any of these things however, so he always made a bowl of macaroni and mayonnaise just for her.

After around twenty-five minutes of cooking the front doorbell rang, announcing Ellie’s presence. Sarah walked over and slid open the screen door. “Hey, goofball. How are you?” She asked.  
Ellie chuckled some and smiled at Sarah, then gave a wave hello to Joel. “I’m good. Been kinda bored since my parents aren’t home. What about you?” She asked. Ellie’s parents had gone out on a small trip over the weekend with some of their friends. They did this at the end of every summer, wanting to have a week to themselves.  
“We’ve been busy with getting stuff ready for school. I’m kinda excited for high school, aren’t you?” Sarah asked. Her and Joel had been getting some stuff ready, meaning buying school supplies and taking the rest of her Christmas money to get some clothes that fit better. She’d always worn whatever her friends got her since she didn’t really like to go out and buy stuff; the last thing she owned for herself was her old combat boots she bought in seventh grade.  
“If excited means ‘I can’t stop thinking about how awkward this is gonna be’ then yes, I’m so excited,” Ellie said sarcastically.   
Sarah offered a small scoff and a shake of her head in response to Ellie’s sarcasm. She took a macaroni noodle and threw it at her face. “Jerk,” she said.  
“Oh, come on!” Ellie laughed. She wiped the macaroni off her face, letting it fall onto the floor.

The sound of the screen door sliding open made everyone’s head turn. They all looked over and smiled when they saw Jimmy and Heather.   
“Hey Jimmy! Hey Heather!” Sarah said. She got off of her seat and went over to hug them. “How are you guys?” She asked.  
“We’re good, Sarah. How are y’all?” Jimmy asked. He walked over to the kitchen bar and sat down. It was clear he’d been working some before he came over; he was sweaty and seemed to be thinking.  
“We’re good. You managed to stop a macaroni war between these two,” Joel said. He shot a playful glare at Sarah and Ellie, the both of them returning the same glares. Ellie threw a macaroni piece at Joel, hitting him just to the side of his nose. He flinched and made a face.  
“Well, seems I won’t be able to stop the one happening between you two.” Jimmy chuckled. Joel only offered a smile in return.  
“Hey, we should grill some pork! It would be a perfect day to do it,” Sarah said. She loved when Joel grilled pork chops during the summer; it was her favorite food.  
“Pork sounds amazing. How about it, Joel?” Jimmy asked.   
“Alright. Lemme go on n’ get the grill fired up,” Joel responded. He opened up the sliding door and stepped out onto the back porch. He uncovered the grill and lit it up, making sure the small flames ignited before heading back inside to marinate the pork for thirty minutes. He got it out of the fridge, laying it on the counter before pouring half a bottle of Caribbean Jerk onto the meat.  
“Sarah, do you mind moving the pork around to make sure it all gets marinated?” Joel asked.  
“Got it, Dad.” Sarah hopped up from her seat and walked over to the counter. 

Once everything was ready, Joel took the pork out to the grill and let it cook for twenty minutes, Sarah still inside boiling the macaroni. She made sure it wasn’t uncooked on the inside before placing the noodles in a strainer bowl.   
“Dad! The macaroni noodles are done cooking! Do you want me to mix them with the mayonnaise and vegetables?” She asked.  
“Yeah, go ahead! I’ll be in soon,” Joel replied.  
Sarah stepped back inside and poured the macaroni into a normal bowl and began mixing all the ingredients together.   
“Want some help?” Ellie asked. She leaned against the counter and watched Sarah, who shook her head and replied, “No, I’ve got it.”

Sitting at the table, everyone got a plate of food and began to eat. Most everyone got a helping of everything; except Sarah, who didn’t care too much for the bread rolls Joel put out. She’d had to stop eating bread a while ago for soccer, so she replaced it with fiber bars.  
“How’s everything taste?” Joel asked.  
“Amazing. Best food in Texas,” Jimmy replied, along with Heather who nodded. They’d eaten most of their food and would no doubt go back for more.   
“Good. Sarah and Ellie did a good job, didn’t they?” Joel said, receiving a nod from Jimmy and Heather. “Very good,” Jimmy replied.  
Sarah smiled, nudging her shoulder against Ellie’s. Ellie laughed and nudged her back, also throwing some macaroni at her again.   
“Oh, come on! Again with the macaroni?” Sarah asked, chuckling softly.  
“Always.”


	2. Chapter Two

The courtyard of the school filled up with students for the first thirty minutes before class. Some were rejoicing in meeting up with friends they had not seen all summer, while others were sitting alone minding their own business. The freshman, like Sarah and Ellie, had a tendency to stick together as well as the upperclassmen.   
“Do you think we’ll get picked on a lot?” Ellie asked, fiddling with her fingers and looking around nervously.  
“No. I don’t think the older kids care about us a whole lot. They mostly stick to themselves unless you give them a reason to; that’s what Dad said,” Sarah replied, earning a nod from Ellie.

When the bell rang for students to head to their classes, Sarah and Ellie hugged goodbye and went off to find their first block. Lowerclassmen were typically on the bottom and middle floor of the school, while upperclassmen were on the middle and top floors. This way reduced the chances of kids getting lost or being picked on by the older students.  
Heading to room 135, Sarah checked that it was right and went inside. She picked a seat by the back corner next to a filing cabinet and the teacher’s desk. Looking at the badge on the desk, Sarah saw the teacher’s name was Mr. Hupp. Hopefully he will be nice.  
“Alright losers, let’s get the boring stuff out of the way. I’m Mr. Hupp and I obviously teach history. I’m not gonna do the whole, ‘write stuff about you on a piece of paper’ thing, because no one actually ever reads them. Instead, I’m gonna have you go on and say your name and one thing about you.” He walked to the front of the room and stood at a podium that was almost as big as he was. “We’ll start alphabetically so I can also take attendance,” he added, earning a groan from most of the kids.  
By the time the teacher got to Sarah, almost everyone was distracted or falling asleep. A few kids were on their phone as well.  
“My name is Sarah Miller and I really like soccer,” she said, a scoff coming from one of the young boys in the opposite corner of the room. “Soccer, huh? What do you play it in your backyard or something with your grandpa?” He asked, earning a chuckle from some of the kids.  
“Actually, I play on a travel team. One of the best youth teams in Texas,” Sarah replied, “not that you would know what that is,” she added. Silence.  
The boy gave Sarah a small glare before returning to his normal conversation,

Down the hall, Ellie was having her own ‘first day’ experience. The kids in her class were also talking amongst themselves, leaving her peace to work on her first drawing of the new school year. She’d decided to draw the school itself, standing tall and representing the education of hundreds of kids. As she drew, a boy walked over to her and sat down, smiling some and saying hi.  
“Hey,” Ellie replied, “what’s up?”  
“Not much, I guess. My name’s Ciel,” he said.  
“Well that’s definitely a name I’ve never heard. Where’d your parents get it from?” Ellie asked, putting down her pencil and closing her sketchbook.  
“They didn’t. I changed my name last summer. It used to be Christine,” he said, earning a nod from Ellie. “Why’d you change it?” She asked.  
Ciel smiled. He looked around before taking off his hat, allowing a flow of bright blue hair fall from his head. “Didn’t fit too well with me.”  
Ellie nodded her head, unsure of what to say and if it would be taken offensively or not. Finally she came up with, “Well, it’s a nice name.”  
“Thanks… you have a nice name too, Ellie,” Ciel said.

When the bell rang for lunch, Ellie and Sarah met up by the water fountain outside of the cafeteria. They got food and sat down together at a small table by the window.  
“How’s your first day going?” Sarah asked.  
“Good so far. What about you?” Ellie asked.  
“Not too bad,” Sarah replied, receiving a nod from Ellie.  
Ellie poured barbeque sauce on her sandwich and took a bite out of it. She made a disgusted face, placing down the food. “This is disgusting… what do they try and feed us?” She asked. The sandwich itself looked like it was falling apart; the bread was hard and the meat inside seemed like something a small dog would eat.  
“Ew… what the heck?” Sarah said, examining the sandwich for herself. She’d gotten some chicken nuggets and fries from the self-serve line, so she offered a couple to Ellie.  
“Here, this should hold you over until we get home,” she said.  
Ellie took a few nuggets and a handful of the fries. “Thank you,” she said, popping a nugget into her mouth. It tasted much better than the other “food” they tried to feed her.

At the end of the day, Sarah and Ellie packed up their school supplies and met up in the school’s courtyard. They sat down on a flat elevation of cement and talked about their days, Sarah seemingly having the most intriguing due to the whole trouble in 1st block deal.  
“Dang… that seems like someone with a too big ego and not enough brains,” Ellie said, a small chuckle escaping her lips. Sarah offered a nod.  
“Probably. He was probably potty trained until he was eight,” Sarah said, smirking and getting out her phone to text Joel that they’d be on their way home soon.  
“We should get going. It’s already 3:45 and I have to help clean the house later,” Sarah said.  
Ellie nodded and stood up. She smiled as she got an idea. “I’ll race you back. Last one has to do the other’s math homework.”  
“Oh, you’re on.” Sarah got up, adjusting her backpack. Ellie took off at the count of three, gaining a small headstart.  
“You cheat!” Sarah called.  
“Keep on going!” Ellie teased.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is fairly light hearted and quick. We also got to get a glimpse at a new character who will show up again ;)


	3. Chapter Three

As a week passed, Sarah and Ellie were finally adapting to their lives as high-schoolers. They made new acquaintances, neither truly making friends. Ellie was learning a little slower, making it harder for her to do the homework and notes required for each class. Sarah however, adapted faster and was able to maintain a steadier pace in her classes. Whenever she could, Sarah would assist Ellie in her work, making sure she kept a high enough grade to pass the class. It was hard work, but neither of the girls wanted to fail and end up in different grades for the rest of their school careers.  
Currently, Sarah and Ellie were sitting at the kitchen counter doing their homework, the granite marble being the only available, and flat, surface for the teens to write on. Ellie was working on history, while Sarah worked on English and math. Both girls were halfway finished with their assignments as they chatted away about different things. Sarah went on about the concert that was coming to the Pavillion in June, where her favorite bands would be playing. She was constantly asking Joel if they could go, but he always told her to ask when the performance date got closer. She would then come back and say, “But then the tickets will be sold out!” Which never got a response.  
Ellie however, would talk about the new superhero movie or the latest mystery book she’d read. She’d talk about how her bookshelf is full of different series and different types of books. Ellie had started reading when she was only seven, giving her plenty of time to collect and read as many books as she could carry in her green, keychain-clad backpack. Her favorite book to carry was a new pun book she’d been given on her birthday. It was the second volume and had all new puns, some of which she’d never heard of.  
“Come on, Ellie. You’ve been working on that one question for ten minutes now. Move on to the next one and come back to it,” Joel said, leaning over the young girl’s shoulder and glancing at her paper. He pat her back gently and went into the kitchen to make some coffee.  
“Dad, it’s almost 4:00PM, you don’t need anymore coffee,” Sarah chimed, earning a snort from Ellie and an eye roll from Joel.  
“He needs all the coffee he can get or he’ll fall over and won’t be able to get back up,” Ellie said. Joel glared daggers.  
“I’m not that old,” he replied. He poured some coffee into his mug and mixed creamer into it. Even being as tough as he was, no man could stand black coffee. Not in his house.  
“Please. You’re almost thirty! That’s almost as old as my history teacher,” Ellie said, finally moving on a working on the next set of questions about the Roman Empire. Usually the class would end with that subject, but Ellie’s teacher decided to put it as one of the first few lessons and get it done faster since it was one of the longer chapters.  
“I’m twenty-eight, not nearly as old as a thirty-four year old,” Joel replied, shaking his head a little. These girls would give him grey hairs by the age of forty.

By 8:00PM, Ellie had gone home and Sarah had began getting ready for bed. She’d already showered and changed into her pjs and was plugging up her computer and phone. She was about to turn off the phone when a message popped up in her inbox. It was from a school acquaintance.  
‘Turn on the news. Ch. seven.’  
Sarah furrowed her brows together and turned on her TV to channel seven. She was horrified at the headline, not to mention the clip they were showing. The headline read, “WARNING: MAN PRESUMED DEAD AFTER BEING BITTEN BY A LOCAL.” The clip that followed showed the event happening as someone recorded it on their phone. The now-dead man had been walking along the busy street down by the theatre when a smaller man, presumably in his early twenties, ran up and tackled him to the ground. He seemed to sink his teeth into the male, small spurts of blood coming from his neck. The bitten man struggled for what seemed like only a few seconds before going limp. His skin drained of color and his eyes turned blue-grey.  
A new text appeared on Sarah’s phone screen.  
‘They’re gonna find us soon.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The outbreak has begun! What will happen to Sarah, Ellie, and Joel? Find out soon.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed! Feel free to DM me feedback and suggestions! More chapters TBA.


End file.
